“In the real world, villains too often succeed and heroes, too often die,” says writer James McBride — and that’s one of the great things about being novelist. “In novels you can move matters around … you get to show the best side of people. You get to show redemption, and forgiveness, and you get to show the parts of people that most of us never get to see.” I loved this quote from Scott Simon’s interview this morning on NPR. It articulates so well what I’m trying to do.
Tag: characterization
Emotional Clues In Short-Grass Prairie
I grew up in a family like a short-grass prairie. Very little shows above ground, but the roots run deep and they’re inextricably intertwined. I want to write about people like that, but it poses a serious challenge. I find my readers asking for more emotion, but the very lack of demonstrativeness is a large part of the point.
My writing challenge for this week, specifically for the book I’m rewriting and revising, is to develop an array of very subtle clues to the emotions of my characters. I need to do it without tears, or the kind that stand in the eye. I have no slamming things around, no yelling, no visible cringing. I need gestures that reveal the world, almost imperceptible changes in expression . . . maybe even atmospheric clues that provide foreboding.
Have you developed a basket of such clues for your own writing—or even for your own emotional life?